Millan "Spills" As He Prepares For Bushnell Show

Cesar Millan, better known as the "The Dog Whisperer'', is the dog trainer extraordinaire with a popular reality television series -- "The Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan" -- about his rehabilitation work with dogs. An American immigrant of Mexican descent, Millan, who is also an author, will be featured at the Bushnell on Dec. 4 where he will tell inspirational stories, offer helpful training tips and hold a question and answer session with the audience. Take a sneak peek at what he has to say:

Q: Where did the name "dog whisperer" and was it kind of "stolen" from those other "whisperers?"

A: "The Horse Whisperer," the movie with Robert Redford, came first but me being called "dog whisperer" came before the TV show "Ghost Whisperer." Actually one of my program producers is married to one of the producers of that show. And actually before I was known as "the dog whisperer," I was called the Mexican who can walk a pack of dogs. America had never seen a guy who could walk 40 dogs off leash before and they didn't know what to call me. But at least they knew I was Mexican!

Q: What is the biggest mistake most dog owners make?

A: I would say they blame the dog for problems. Dog owners have to take responsibility in the relationship. He is a dog, he can't rationalize behavior. There is no knowledge in a dog, it is instinct. A dog's biggest goal in life is to make its owner happy, to be part of a family. Dogs are conditioned by their owners. Humans give direction to the dog.

Q: What was the name of your first dog?

A: People don't name their dogs in Mexico. That is an American culture thing. We used eye contact to communicate with our dogs. If a dog needed a name to have a relationship with a human, I would not have a job.